Exile and Back

Good afternoon,

In the Old Testament, one of the main stories is the exile of the Jewish people to Babylon to Jerusalem. The prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah predict the exile, and the first deportations begin in the year 597 BCE. They go on for about 15 years, and they are refugees for about 60 years. But in 539, King Cyrus who defeated the Babylonians, invites the Jewish people back to Jerusalem and its surroundings. The first temple has been destroyed by the Babylonians, and when they returned, the book of Ezra says they begin the building of the new Temple within two years .

But not everyone comes back to Jerusalem. Some of the people like it in Babylon . They are given freedom to worship, and they seem to quite like the lifestyle. And there other Jewish communities in places like Sardis, Ephesus and Thessalonica ( all in present-day Turkey ). Historians do not know all the reasons why all the Jewish people did not return to the Promised Land.

Today, people are already beginning to speculate what will happen when the churches open again. There has been growth in almost all churches. Churches track every hit to their worship service on-line, and it says that there are more people, but it does not say how long they stay. It is church shopping taken to a whole new level. Will people stay home to listen and watch ?  Will the people who are on the fringes, stay away full-time ? Will people who have not history with faith or church, be open to coming ?

Some people say this might give us an opportunity to have church/community be a seven day a week experience. I am writing this blog everyday, so we might be close and connected during this time of physical distancing. After the pandemic ends, we might feel the need to meet more often for coffee, conversation and potlucks ?

What do you think will happen when Poole opens up on a Sunday morning in the month of …. ?

" All the friends here say hello. Pass the greetings around with holy embraces. I, Paul —- in my own handwriting —- send my regards. Our Master Jesus has his arms wide open for you. And I love all of you in the Messiah. In Jesus.  I Corinthians 16:20-24

Be safe and be well in the presence of God, the Almighty One.  AMEN

Fred

Pastor

Poole Mennonite Church

Tread on bold new paths!

Fireflies flash the direction

"Hope springs eternal"